The world’s fastest convertible is officially from Texas. Last month we saw the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder has set a new world record for open-top sports cars at Naval Air Station Lemoore where Racelogic, the renowned independent speed testing firm, has officially confirmed that a top speed of 265.6 mph was achieved. The record run was certified by Racelogic technical director, Jim Lau, and witnessed by Commander Darren Fouts, Air Operations Officer. The Venom GT roadster was driven by Brian Smith, director of the Ford Performance Racing School.

Following the spectacular record-breaking speed of the Hennessey Venom GT in 2014, during which the hardtop coupe achieved a top speed of 270.4 mph (435.3 km/h) at the Kennedy Space Center, a record speed that remains unparalleled to this day, Hennessey has added yet another milestone. The open top version, the Venom GT Spyder, now also officially holds the world record. The open-top super sports car reached a maximum speed of 265.6 mph (427.4 km/h) at the US Navy’s 2.9 mile long runway in Lemoore, California, making it the fastest convertible sports car in the world – beating the previous record held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Vitesse by over 11 mph. “2016 marks the 25th anniversary of Hennessey Performance”, said company founder, John Hennessey. “I thought that this would be a special way to celebrate 25 years of making fast cars faster. I’ve wanted to test the top speed of our Venom GT Spyder, without the roof, ever since our coupe ran 270.4 mph on the Space Shuttle landing runway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2014. This was a great way to validate the technical excellence of our car which includes high-speed stability with an open roof.” The Venom GT is powered by a twin-turbo 7.0L V8 engine producing 1,451 bhp @ 7,200 rpm and 1,287 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm and puts its power down to the rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires via a 6-speed manual gearbox by Ricardo. The Venom GT is capable of 0-60 mph in less than 2.4 seconds and has been tested from 0-200 mph in less than 13 seconds. Hennessey plans to offer a limited run of 3 “World Record Edition” Venom GT Spyder’s to commemorate the record run and as a tribute to the company’s 25th Anniversary. The cost is $1.3 million each plus tax. “We are grateful to have the help of so many friends, family, employees, customers and partners over the past 25 years. We look forward to the next chapter of the Venom with the F5 as we keep making fast cars faster for the next 25 years”, said John Hennessey.This was enough to displace the previous record holder, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which reached 254.04 mph with its roof removed in 2013.